Growing Pains
by Rouroken
Summary: Kaoru is confused, Kenshin is angry, Yahiko is in love, and an unimaginable fight occurs! What the hell is going on!


*sigh* another one-shot. I wanted write something both cute, funny, and down right stupid. It's a real eye boggler that I hope you get some good laughs out of! ^_^  
  
A young samurai stood before a crying girl under a star filled sky his shinai tied to his back. He had a serious but sympathetic look on his face as he stared at the girl. Sobs racked every inch of her body. "Sumanai, demo I'm afraid it's over." With that he turned heel and walked away leaving the girl alone. She uttered two sad words before breaking down again as she left. "Yahiko....kun..."  
  
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"He did WHAT?!" Kaoru exclaimed. She was at the Akabeko the next day after that happened. She and Tae were trying to comfort poor Tsubame who didn't sleep since what happened. Kaoru was wearing a blue kimono with a pink ribbon in her hair. She did her best to refrain from another outburst. "That kid....I'm gonna..." She grumbled. Tae wearing a red kimono patted Tsubame on the back sympathetically.  
  
"Tsubame-chan, did he give you reason why he broke up with you?" Tsubame and Yahiko had been a couple for the longest time. No one suspected they'd call it quits. "No not really," she said quietly tears still falling. "He just said 'it was over.'"  
  
"Over? Nothing's over!!" Kaoru yelled slamming her fist on the table. Everyone looked at her making her blush. "Uh, gomen." She said. She turned to the weary Tsubame. "Don't worry, I'll talk to him when I get home so don't cry anymore," she said giving her a hug.  
  
"Arigato Kaoru-san."  
  
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Back at the dojo Yahiko poured a bucket of cold water over his head. "Brrr!" he said as he walked to his room and put on a fresh gi. Then he picked up his shinai and headed outside. Kenshin waved towards him. "Ohayou Yahiko! Did you sleep well? It was cold last night that it was." Yahiko just nodded and sat next to him on the porch. Kenshin was wearing a red gi and his sakabatou was leaning against a post. He was sipping his tea quietly. For some reason Yahiko kept staring at him through slanted eyes. Kenshin eventually noticed this.  
  
"Yahiko, is there something you wish to ask me?" Kenshin asked, puzzled by the way he was staring at him. "Eto..Actually I do!" Yahiko blurted out. Kenshin smiled seeing he could be some sort of help. "Um..do you ever have strange dreams..." he stopped turning extremely red. Kenshin urged him to continue. "W-With Kaoru in them?" he finished. Kenshin instantly face- vaulted into the ground, nose bleeding. "Orororororororororo!" Kenshin rubbed his head. "Eto, why do you ask?"  
  
"Never mind it was nothing! Just forget about it!" he said waving his hands in the air and running back into the house. Kenshin wearily stood up. 'What was that all about?' he wondered. He lifted his gead up to see Kaoru coming in. "Aa, okaeri Kaoru-dono!" Kaoru gave him a small smile, "Hai, demo where is Yahiko?" she went inside and peeked through the doorway. "YAHIKO!!! YOU ARE SO DEAD!!!!" she yelled grabbing him by the collar.  
  
"Kaoru, okaeri nasai!" he said enthusiastically not caring of how Kaoru was holding him. "Would you like a drink snack or something? I can get it for you!" Kaoru stared at him in a fit of confusion. He was actually being nice to her. Kaoru figured he was just toying with her. "Yahiko..." She uttered putting him down. "Don't think you can get away with breaking up with Tsubame-chan."  
  
Yahiko replied rather solemnly, "Things have to end for other things to begin you know." He winked at her and turned for the door. "I'll be in the dojo. Can't wait for today's lesson!" he yelled and left. Kaoru's mouth dropped open. What in the world was going on here? Before she could give it any thought she felt a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Kaoru-dono, I'm going fishing for tonight's dinner okay?" he said a fishing pole over his shoulder. Kaoru nodded still unable to speak. "Doushite de gozaru yo?" Kenshin asked concerned.  
  
"Maa, I'm not sure," she replied. "The strangest thing happened."  
  
"Oro, strange? Nothing's strange that it isn't!" he blurted out becoming all flustered. Kaoru eyed him strangely. Kenshin sweat dropped. "Oro, eto, I have to go now, I'll see you later!" he cried and rushed out the gate. "Mou..." She sighed heavily and turned for her room to change into her training hakama.  
  
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Inside the dojo Yahiko was staring at the wall. The few name tags were lined up next to each other. Aside from Yutaro's Yahiko's was the only one up there with Kaoru's. A smile came on his face. 'It only makes sense. We both use the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. I'm the only student who uses it other than what's his face demo I'm much better than him. That means I can master it and become her best student and she'd pass it on to me! That means I should probably change my name to Kamiya. I might as well marry her!' He thought to himself. 'It's strange, I use to think she was an ugly old hag but the more you think about someone the more beautiful they become.' He sighed. He was now pacing the room twirling his shinai up in the air. But it came crashing down on his head and he ended up lying on the ground. He blinked his eyes as a thought came to mind. 'Oh yeah....Kenshin..well their relationship doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Plus I'm closer to her age and he doesn't seem to have a claim on her so there shouldn't be anything to worry about. Demo, she really likes him, what does one do when there is a rival? What the heck am I gonna do?' He got into a fighting stance. 'I know, I'll challenge him, winner take all!' he thought. But reality came crashing down. 'Demo, he's way better than me. How am I suppose to beat him?' he thought. 'I'll need more training and fast! I can't lose! After all, I'm a samurai in love!' (Author: O_O) Kaoru was standing in the doorway.  
  
"Yahiko? What are you doing?" he was sitting on the floor his hands in the air. "Are you meditating or something?" Yahiko snapped back to reality. "Aa, gomen Kaoru. I was stretching a bit before practice." He said innocently. "Let's start shall we?"  
  
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After practice Kaoru and Yahiko walked outside. "That was a good workout," Kaoru said wiping away some sweat. "You did well today, I'm impressed."  
  
"All thanks to you. Do you want a drink? I'll go get you some water," he said eagerly. Kaoru eyed him suspiciously. "Nani, you look like someone hit you in the head." Kaoru shook her head. "Nothing." It was then she spotted Kenshin coming home. "Oh Kenshin, okaeri nasai!" Yahiko turned and glared at the rurouni. 'Oh...that guy...' Kenshin rubbed his head shyly.  
  
"Suman Kaoru-dono. I was unable to catch anything for dinner, sorry I let you down," he said setting the pole down. Kaoru gave him a reassuring smile. "Daijobu Kenshin, I have enough money to go to the store and get food." Yahiko immediately rushed out.  
  
"Kenshin and I will go!" he blurted out. He earned stares from the two. "Don't worry about it, just leave it to us!" he said very very convincingly. Kaoru shook her head. "it's okay I can do it myself." But she saw Yahiko's look and shrugged. "Fine then if you want to so much. I'm going to take a bath then." And she left. Both boys fell into a pile. Yahiko's eyes were hearts. "That woman is plain so hard to get...." He sighed. "Orooooo....this is too much...Kaoru-dono..." Yahiko sat up and pointed at Kenshin. "Alright! Get ready you because I'm gonna kick your ass!" Kenshin blinked. "Oro?"  
  
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Yahiko dragged him into the forest so no one would see them. Kenshin was still ignorant of what was going on and Yahiko just kept pep talking. "You can do this you can do this!" "Alright I'm ready!" Kenshin was still confused to no ends.  
  
"Just what is this about anyway?" Yahiko pointed his shinai at him. "Don't play innocent with me Kenshin! This is about Kaoru!" he got into a stance. "Now draw your sword or I'll make you draw it!"  
  
"Y-Yahiko!!!" Kenshin yelled as he ducked a hit. Yahiko hammered him good by kicking him in the knee. Kenshin fell to the ground. "Oro...." he rolled out of the way and finally got in a defense stance. "Yahiko! Dame!"  
  
"No way!" he retorted. "Kaoru's mine! I'll only let you go if you stay away from her!" he yelled swinging at him and missing. He crashed into the bushes but got up just as fast. "Even if you are better than me I won't lose to you!"  
  
"You're very determined to win that you are. That's why I have great expectations of you that I do," he said his purple eyes hidden beneath his bangs. "Demo, what you are asking me I'm afraid I can't do." He touched the hilt of his sword. "If this is about Kaoru in this situation I guess I will have to fight you." "Fine..." Yahiko mumbled. "I won't lose!!!!" he tackled him but the two rolled off a steep hill and were falling. They hit the ground and everything went black.  
  
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Yahiko opened his eyes to find he was in his room on his futon, bandages on his arms and legs. The bruises and wounds on his head hurt. 'What happened?' he suddenly heard noises coming from outside. He crept to Kenshin's door and peeked in through a crack.  
  
"What were the two of you doing?" Kaoru asked as she finished wrapping the bandages around Kenshin's upper arm. "Suman Kaoru-dono. I was sparring with Yahiko and we both got carried away." "Speak for yourself! I found you both unconscious in the forest and I had to carry you both back here!"  
  
"Suman Kaoru-dono....." Kaoru sighed and looked at him. "Daijobu, the truth is when you two didn't come home I was worried sick about you both." Kenshin gave her a smile. "Actually before I passed out you were on my mind de gozaru."  
  
"K-Kenshin." Kaoru gasped when he draped his arm around her. Yahiko's eyes now had tears in them. 'I guess I lost after all. Still, he's more worthy of her than I am. At any rate, I'll have to get over her somehow....' Kenshin pulled her closer and started whispering sweet phrases into her ears. Kaoru responded with shy giggling. "Kenshin, you're being bad....cut it out....no Kenshin not that, dame. I said dame!!!!!" she yelled turning bright red and slapping him away. "Orooooo..." He said lying on the ground but he got up and eyed her evilly. "I wasn't finished yet that I wasn't."  
  
"K-K-K-Kenshin dame!!!" Kaoru half yelled half laughed when he had her pinned to the futon and him on top. "Baka! Kenshin that tickles!!! Stop it- ouch!! You bit me you little-!!!" "I told you I wasn't done yet," he said playfully between random affections. Yahiko turned away from the door. 'Just what the hell did I see in that busu anyway?!?!?!' Back in the other room Kaoru had slapped him away a second time and Kenshin ended up tackling her back on the futon and continued what he started. "Kenshiiiiin!!!" Kaoru laughed. It was just another night at the dojo.  
  
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Hehe, so did you like it? What happened with Tsubame you might ask? Well the next day he went to the Akabeko and begged for her back but she wasn't gonna go so easily. He had to work extra for a few weeks before he was fully forgiven. Oh well. ^_^ Arigato for reading! Please review, if you feel like it. 


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